Learn to Love Again
by dshirochan
Summary: All the preparations had been done and everyone was excited to see the two say their vows. But things don't always go as planned and Akashi and Kuroko reailze they must learn to love again if they plan to hold on to each other for eternity. Akashi/femKuroko
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** Kuroko no Basuke is not mine. I own nothing. :))

**Learn to Love Again**

Everything was ready and all the preparations have been arranged down to the last detail. There was nothing out of place and all the measures to make sure that nothing will go wrong have been taken. This wedding was going to go as planned. The venue for the wedding ceremony itself was decorated well, simple but elegant, and the reception area was exquisitely decorated as well. The couple was preparing for the biggest day of their lives so far .

Akashi Seijuro was feeling elated today and why wouldn't he be? It was his wedding day after all. Despite this, he was not giddy or flighty; he wasn't even nervous. He had been looking forward to the day he finally tied the knot with his long-time girlfriend, Kuroko Tetsumi, but now that the day had finally arrived, he stayed calm, with his thin lips curled into a small satisfied smile. His dexterous fingers set the bow tie firmly in place as he looked at himself at the mirror. Indeed, he looked like the perfect groom and in a room at the other end of the hallway was his perfect bride. He decided this was going to be a good day.

Dressed in his simple but classy tuxedo, he headed over to the room of his bride-to-be. The few people he met along the way nodded at him with a small smile; on ordinary days, these people would avoid his terrifying gaze but given the special event, the respectful nods that seemed to say 'congratulations' were in order. Reaching the door, he knocked curtly and the door opened slightly to reveal his wife's maid of honor, Kise Ryuka, who was too happy for her own good.

"Ah! Akashicchi! You're not supposed to be here!" she said in an overly shrill and excited voice. "I will go see Tetsumi, Ryuka. I want to see my bride." He was unfazed by her protests, bouncing up and down as she grumbled, "No, Akashicchiii~" But he was Akashi Seijuro and no one ever dared to say no to him. Kise, who knew that she could not convince him otherwise , finally let him in the room, pouting as she did so, for fear of what she knew he was capable of.

"Akashi-kun, it's bad to luck to see the bride in her dress before the wedding." Kuroko Tetsumi stood at the corner of the room where a mirror stood. Her reflection was one of complete beauty. Her teal hair was held up in a neat bun and she was wearing her wedding dress, a simple white halter v cap-sleeved top with a full floor-length and flowing skirt and and a teal ribbon tied around her small waist. In her delicate hands was a simple bouquet of white roses. In that moment, Akashi couldn't help thinking that she was simply beautiful, more beautiful than the stars in the skies, or the blooming flowers in the meadows. She was beautiful and no words would ever be enough for him to fully describe her unending beauty. He would never let her go.

"I am aware of that. I wanted to see you," he answered plainly, the smile on his lips more evident as he watched his bride look at her own reflection in the tall mirror. Her fair creamy skin and small frame made her seem all the more like a delicate child he'd hold on to. Her bright teal eyes were the most captivating of all. "Ah, Akashicchi, Kurokocchi, I'll leave you two to some privacy and get ready for the wedding!" Kise excused herself and Akashi almost thought she was the bride because of how excited and happy she was.

His pair of mismatched eyes, one crimson as blood and the other a warm shade of amber, observed the woman in front of him. "I have been looking forward to this day, Tetsumi." She set down the bouquet and walked to his direction. Closing the distance between them, she felt his breath warm on her skin, and his touch even warmer, as he pulled her in for an embrace. "I've been waiting for this day too, Akashi-kun," she replied in her usual monotone. She was never one to show much emotion; in several aspects, Akashi and Kuroko were really alike. Though for some reason, her voice sounded strangely more somber. No, maybe Akashi was just overanalyzing. In his arms, she felt she wanted to melt right then and there and he'd be the one to catch her.

* * *

The ceremony was about to start. Akashi and Kuroko's closest friends and families, who were not much since neither of the two were the kind who liked big crowds, stood by their seats. In the front rows, Kuroko's friends stood grinning widely, Kagami Taiga, whose split brows twitched up and down everytime he laughed, he too was excited about this, Kuroko's colleagues, Hyuuga Junpei, Kiyoshi Teppei and Shun Izuki to name a few, were waiting eagerly for the ceremony to begin. At the end of the center aisle stood the two bridesmaids, the maid of honor and Akashi's own colleagues.

Kise was bubbly and still bouncing; she couldn't stand still as she swayed here and there, her long teal dress flowing with her every movement. Beside her stood Momoi, her long pink hair held up in a ponytail; she too was bouncing and elated. Riko Aida was relatively more behaved and composed than the other two bridesmaids, though she couldn't fill out the chest part of her matching teal dress. Akashi stood expectantly, a smile tugging at his lips, and to his left were Midorima Shintarou who tucked a small plush toy in the front chest pocket of the tux instead of a handkerchief, Aomine Daiki who shifted from where he stood and was almost as bubbly as the women, and Murasakibara Atsushi who Akashi practically berated for munching on crackers earlier on.

The wedding march began to play and Akashi was relieved that it was finally going to start. All heads turned to the open door at the end of the hall, waiting expectantly for the bride to walk in. But the music played on, and was halfway through and still, no one came in. Suddenly, Akashi became nervous, probably for the first time in his life, he was nervous. The crowd began to talk in hushed tones but the redhead could clearly make out the ''She's probably just delayed," or "Is he being stood up?" The crowd's attention shifted from the empty doorway to the authoritative redhead who stood waiting, thin lips pulled into a straight line.

* * *

**AN:** Okay! Chapter 1 done! Yay :)))) Although I feel sad for Akashi-kun D: Don't take this the wrong way though, I'm not making Kuroko a bad person here. This is an AkaKuro after all, they're bound to get together :))) This time, I promise I'll try my best to update as soon as possible but I do hope that I get good feedbacks. Please tell me how this chappie was and leave a review. Your comments really mean so much to me. And thank so much for reading! :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer:** Kuroko no Basuke is not mine. :)))

**AN:** Thanks so much to everyone who reviewed. I value all your comments and opinions and they always make my day so many times brighter. I hope this chapter won't be a rip-off. Now, Akashi will be a little OOC here 'cause I thought that it won't be very surprising to act in a way you never have before when you're faced with a situation you've never encountered before. If I made him too OOC, I apologize and I promise I'll work on that in the following chapters. Also, the story won't be progressing much because I want to start slow before things really take off. I do plan on finishing this in 6 or 7 chapters depending on the progress I'll be making. I hope you'll like this chapter and please please tell me how this went :D

**Learn To Love Again**

The first time he saw her was at the school library. She was sitting alone, completely engrossed in the novel in which her nose was buried into. Nobody else had seemed to notice her striking teal-colored hair, smooth, lustrous and barely reaching her shoulders. There were no sudden fireworks or fluttering butterflies; it was not love at first sight. Akashi took the notion as nonsense as he firmly believed one could not fall for someone he or she didn't know. He made his way to the bookshelf of the books he intended to read that afternoon and as he walked past her, their eyes did not spare each other passing glances. It was not yet time for their eyes to come in contact; his gaze was fixed straight ahead as hers were directed solely to the novel she was reading.

Now, as he looked out the window, watching the children play in the nearby park with wide toothy grins on their faces,their mothers busy with lively chatter and the other random people here and there, Akashi knew that life went on as usual for everyone else; but for him, a lot has changed. He wondered of this was how losing felt, for true enough, he felt like he had lost something entirely dear to him.

There were only a few people left in the venue for the ceremony, mostly those who knew both Akashi and Kuroko very well and were able to handle their fear of the intimidating redhead. Midorima had promptly asked the other attendees to leave Akashi to some privacy. Kise held back the tears that threatened to spill out her golden eyes; she was terribly sad, especially since she knew how much Kuroko loved Akashi and how much he loved Kuroko back, but she did not have the right to cry. After all, she was not the one who was stood up at the altar. Momoi was trying to figure out where Kuroko would most likely be while Riko was in the process of contacting the missing bride. Kuroko's friends and colleagues, Kagami, Hyuuga and the rest, had volunteered to look for her.

There was a heavy silence among Akashi, Midorima,Kise, Aomine and Murasakibara. Surely the former captain would need some consoling, but since never before had the need presented itself, the small group didn't really know what to do or what to say. Akashi stood wordlessly staring ahead into the scenery outside a window of the room. Everyone present there had known Akashi and Kuroko since they were in High School, some of them have even known the two for longer, but no one had expected this. Most likely, not even Akashi, in all his perceptiveness, thought this was going to happen.

"I am going home," Akashi stated plainly, as though nothing had changed, but Midorima could tell instantly that there was something different in the look in his eyes. Somehow, the redhead's pair of mismatched eyes were more somber, though it was very hard to tell since Akashi always kept his facade up no matter what. "Shintarou, I trust you'll be able to handle things here." All eyes followed the figure of the fearsome redhead as he made his way out of the room. As he was about to turn a corner though, Akashi said, albeit rather weakly, _"Thank you everyone.."_ Their eyes would have popped out had the expression of gratitude been given in some other occasion but knowing the gravity of the situation, they could tell that this was a blow to the undefeated, the always-right Akashi Seijuro.

* * *

"Akashi-kun.." Having known her better than anyone for the past fifteen years or so, he knew where she would be. He found her sitting alone on the shoreline of a small lake he had taken her to several times when they were still dating, and when he proposed to her. "I knew you'd be here." She did not need to turn her head to know that he was there. She was still in her dress, over which she had worn a blazer to fend off the cool breeze that was blowing in. Her toes were casually dipped into the clear water and her fingers curled into grass around her. He approached her and sat beside her, taking her hand into his.

"Tetsumi..." His tone was not threatening or frightening but for the first time, it somehow sounded as though he was hurt. Whatever reason she had for what she did, he had every right to know about it beforehand. He was made into a rejected fool, expectantly waiting for what wasn't going to come and never before had he faced such humiliation. Nevertheless, that was not what bothered or hurt him. Yes, for the first time in his life, he was actually hurt. "I'm sorry, Akashi-kun... I- I should.. I shouldn't have.." She too was at a loss for the right words to say; she, who had always been straight to the point and honest, did not know how and what to say. This day was full of firsts for the two of them.

"You did what you had to do." He had every right to be angry, to get crazy, to have a meltdown of some sort, but no he was not going to, especially since this was the woman he had loved for so long. ".. I just want to know why," he stated a little mournfully. She had never seen him this vulnerable. It only made her feel more guilty, as though a blade was ripping through her heart. She did love him after all, more than anything and anyone, and it pained her to see him like this.

"I wasn't ready Akashi-kun.. I felt like we were missing something, that somewhere along the line, we lost something. I just wasn't ready, not until I've found out what that is." She turned to face him, and bright teal orbs met mismatched pearls. " I suppose you're right. We've been together for so long... I know we've changed, things between us have changed. Despite things, somehow, we're a little more distant but I do love you Tetsumi and I will mend the things that need repair. We're going to search together, if that's what it takes to make you my bride again." He was sincere and Kuroko knew that he was making a promise.

* * *

**AN: **Thanks for reading! Please leave a review :)))))


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer**: Kuroko no Basuke is not mine :)))

**AN: **I AM SO SORRY. I know I promised I'd update really soon but a lot of things happened. I'm really sorry. I made this chapter longer than usual though so I hope that compensates for taking a long time to update. Anyway, here's the next chapter. I hope you like it! :D Please leave a review and tell me how this one went ;D

**Learn to Love Again**

_"Akashi-kun... It's beautiful. It's completely beautiful." Kuroko was in awe at the sight in front of her. Her bright teal orbs widened at the beauty all around her. It was as if there were two skies, because the sky above of white wispy clouds, was reflected perfectly by the water of the small lake that he had taken her to. She had never seen grass more lush and verdant before and the flowers bloomed here and there in the most striking colors. "Indeed, it is, Tetsumi. It is mesmerizing.." Akashi added but his gaze stayed fixed on her and her alone. She was the most captivating of all. __  
_

_"As expected of Akashi-kun to know such a breathtaking place.." The plain tone of her voice would convince most other people that she was not at all impressed. Of course, Akashi knew otherwise. "I thought it would be fitting to bring someone as lovely as you here." His lips were pulled into a smirk as he wrapped his arms around her small frame. "You flatter me too much, Akashi-kun," she replied in her usual monotone. "Now, do I?" _

_Akashi would never forget that fateful day when they shared their first kiss with each other. As his lips met her tender and smooth ones, he knew she was the one. They spent the rest of the afternoon basking in the warm glow of the sun, the cool and softly blowing breeze, and the melody created by the birds merrily singing a tune in celebration of the love Akashi and Kuroko had for each other. They lied on the grass, with Kuroko resting her head on the fearsome captain's chest, as they watched the clouds pass by. She wrapped her arm tenderly around his figure, as his own was wrapped around her petite body as well.  
_

_There wasn't much of an exchange of words; each knew it was more than enough to be in the company of the other. The smiles tugging at both their lips, genuine and sincere smiles that were rarely ever shown to other people, were enough to convey how happy they were to have the one they loved the most, in their arms. It was so peaceful, so calm. Neither of them wanted the day to ever end.  
_

* * *

How long had it been since he's last held a ball? The feel of rubber at the tips of his fingers was familiar and reminiscent. Past memories of triumphant victories rushed through his thoughts. The cheering of the crowd, the lights, the squeaking of shoes on polished floor, the rhythmic thumping of balls... Akashi's thin lips curled into a smile. They were all fresh in his mind, as though they had only been yesterday. Beads of sweat started to form on his forehead as he dribbled the ball effortlessly. The ball shifted from his right hand to his left as he swooped in to shoot. The sound of the net in contact with the ball brought back memories of the days way back when he was one of the most celebrated and feared high school basketball players of his time.

"Akashi.." The redhead did not need to turn his head to see who was calling to him. One swift throw of the ball and a swooshing of the net after, his gaze caught sight of the figure approaching the court. "I did not expect to see you here," Midorima stated calmly as he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Fingers still taped carefully out of habit, in his grip was a small teddy bear with googly eyes and in his other hand hung a small bag. Midorima had not changed much since their youth. Akashi's lips contorted into a devious grin. "Really now? And what brings you here to Kyoto when you live so far away?" It really was pointless to lie to Akashi Seijuro. "Sometimes I wonder why people even bother lying to me," he said matter-of-factly.

"You haven't changed much, Akashi." The green-headed shooter set down his lucky item on the cemented floor, slowly untaped his obsessively well-kept fingers and picked up the ball. "I could say the same for you. If you came to check up on me concerning ... _the recent events.._ I am fine. There is no need for you to worry." He feigned a small smile at the taller male. "Or where you here to finally settle the score between us? You're in luck, I suppose. I haven't been playing for a long time. Your chances might be significantly higher this time," he teased, earning him a 'hhmph' in reply. _"Still as cocky and condescending as ever, Akashi,"_ Midorima couldn't help thinking. There was no need for him to voice out his thoughts; he knew Akashi could tell what he was thinking because of the deepening scowl on the shooter's face.

"I came for the latter," the shooter promptly replied with confidence, "I did promise before that I'll teach you of defeat, didn't I?" Really, neither of them have changed much. Midorima moved swiftly in position, aiming for the basket with his long range shot. Just as swiftly, if not more, Akashi blocked the shot and dribbled the ball towards the hoop. The taller of the two guarded unyieldingly as the redhead performed his signature ankle break, sending the shooter to the cold cement. In no less than a second though, he was up again and was blocking Akashi's shot. It went on like static for a while. How long exactly, neither of them could tell. They were too consumed with the game that they had lost track of time. Though they no longer played as well as they used to but they were still very skillful and one watching them would have to say that they were almost evenly matched.

Finally, with one swift movement, Akashi scored, again bagging the win much to Midorima's dismay. Both of them wiped of the sweat on their foreheads. "I have to say that this was a good game. I haven't played such a thrilling match in a very long time. I thank you for that, Shintarou but as always, I win," he stated casually, as though he was stating some kind of scientific fact. "I will eventually beat you, Akashi," Midorima responded as he wiped his glasses with a handkerchief he had. "...How are things between you and Kuroko?" The shooter asked. _"Ah finally, your real reason for coming here.."_ Akashi thought as the ends of his lips curved a bit upward. Midorima noticed how the eyes of his former captain somehow softened a bit.

The taller of the two headed slowly back to the spot where he had carefully lain his 'lucky item' and his bag as he waited for his former captain's reply. "How should things between us be anyway?" Akashi replied with fake confidence though the barely observable half-heartedness in the redhead's reply did not go unnoticed by Midorima. The greenhead leaned down, long slender fingers fiddled with the contents of the small bag and pulled out a small pocketbook. Back still turned, he threw the pocketbook to what he assumed as Akashi's direction behind him. Naturally, the redhead effortlessly caught the pocketbook gracefully thrown into a high arc range.

"What is this supposed to be, Shintarou?" Akashi's voice was steady, smooth and velvety but somehow vaguely threatening. _"Your Ten Step Guide To Anything,"_ the title read. Thin red eyebrows slightly knitted together as he eyed the pocketbook as though he was disgusted by the sight of it. Who did Midorima think he, Akashi Seijuro, was for giving him this kind of book? Instantly, it was as if the temperature dropped to near zero. Luckily, the shooter didn't have to face the redhead in the eye; death glares from those two mismatched orbs were simply unbearable. "I took the liberty of bringing you your lucky item for tomorrow. Oha-Asa has advance predictions now and I thought I'd bring this to you considering your poor horoscope ranking for the next couple of days. Page 24 has a _particularly interesting subject_ though. You might learn a thing or two from it, Akashi." With those words, he stalked away, walking back to where he had come from and leaving the fearsome former captain alone once more. _"How very thoughtful of you,"_ he thought flatly as he rolled his eyes.

* * *

Kuroko's lips parted for a relieved sigh. Another long day had just ended, leaving her tired and alone in the kindergarten classroom that looked as though some kind of tornado had attacked it. Dealing with twenty small kids that ran all over the place, jumped, threw things and kept being noisy all the time was a very taxing job to say the least, and it required unending patience. Despite this, she could never bring herself to hate her job. After all, this was what she chose because it made her happy to be in the company of such young people with wide genuine smiles and sticky hands.

She busied herself with arranging the things in the small classroom and cleaning up the spilled liquids here and there as she hummed a soft tune. Outside, the sun was just about to end its shift, painting the sky with different shades of orange and hues of purple. Its rays peaked through the windows in the room, giving it a warm cozy feel. She picked up a piece of paper on the floor and looked at it fondly; the stickmen portraying the artist's close friends playing with a bright red ball brought a smile to her lips. It made her remember simpler times back in middle and high school.

Knocking on the door made her snap back to reality. A ghost of a smile lingered on her lips as the door opened to reveal a familiar mop of crimson hair. "Akashi-kun?" she said curiously, "What are you doing here?" The redhead was busy scanning the room with his pair of mismatched eyes."I thought I'd visit you here today and take you out on an impromptu date. Did I come at a bad time?" Cluttered toys, crayons and other writing materials, ripped and crumpled paper, puddles of milk, juice and chocolate drinks filled the matted floor of the room. "No, Akashi-kun is welcome to visit here as he pleases..." she replied in monotone as usual but her eyes seemed to twinkle a bit at the sight of the redhead.

"_Impromptu date? _ That sounds like something Kise-kun would suggest.." The comment made both of them smile as they pictured the bouncing and cheerful blonde. "Yes, it would seem so, Tetsumi. Ryuka did always have a tendency to be a matchmaker. However, this time, I was the one who thought of it. So would you like to go out with me?" he asked confidently. The idea of spending an unplanned evening with the tealhead seemed fun and enjoyable since most of the dates he had taken her to were always planned carefully to the last detail. And if it turned out that spontaneity was that something they lacked, then it would have been killing two birds with one stone for him. After all, he was still in the process of figuring out what was missing in their relationship and the past few days have been stressful. Really, all he wanted was to have a memorable and fun night with her.

Her smile was much wider now, and even her usually blank eyes showed glee as orbs of crimson and honey met pools of bright teal. "Of course, Akashi-kun. Why wouldn't I? I just have to finish cleaning the classroom first, though. Would you mind?"

"Not at all. Do tell me though, why is it you never call me by my first name? I keep telling you you can call me Seijuro. We have been together for quite a while now so you really don't have to be formal with me all the time." Kuroko seemed to ponder on the matter for a brief moment. "I'm sorry. Old habits die hard... _Seijuro-kun_." She gave him a quick bow- she was always so polite- and knelt to gather the strips of colored paper on the floormats. Akashi too began to pick up toy blocks and placed them in their rightful container. "I'm sorry for all the mess."

"It is to be expected when you're handling children. Really, it impresses me how you deal with all this everyday." It was not a lie. He did not have much patience for those who consistently disobeyed him and since he knew he could not expect mere children to heed him just 'cause he said so, he knew Kuroko's line of job was definitely not for him. He picked up a rag and proceeded with wiping off drink spills as she arranged the stuffed toys in their proper places. "Hhhm.. the children are usually very behaved in the morning when I'm teaching the basics. It's often during playtime that things become like this. I enjoy my time with them nonetheless," she stated in her usual monotone. They were about to finish cleaning up and most of the things in the room were already in order.

Akashi sat down with a piece of paper and some crayons in hand. "Aka.. Seijuro-kun, what are you doing?" she inquired with slightly furrowed brows as she watched the redhead draw on the blank sheet. "I just felt like drawing something, Tetsumi-sensei," he said in mock-child voice. "I think I'd like to draw you, Tetsumi-sensei~" She sat on the floormat with him and leaned in closer to get a better view of what he was drawing. "Ne, Seijuro-kun, if you entered a drawing contest, you probably can't claim being right all the time anymore.." she deadpanned. It was a good thing she was his fiance. Anyone else would be facing the redhead's wrath by now.

"W-What are you talking about, Tetsumi-sensei? Look at this drawing I have of you!" he crooned in a kiddish manner as he flashed the paper right in front of her face, "It has so much artistic sense and creativity!" He bobbed his head from side to side as his lips pulled into a wide grin and his eyes closed as if to smile as well. He looked much like Kise and the many other children she taught and anyone who didn't know him would probably think he was as bubbly and innocent as those he was copying. "Then I suppose this would best be posted up on the wall," she replied in her own version of a sweet and borderline annoying teacher as she pointed to a wall in the room where other kids' drawings were posted.

She yanked the sheet of paper quickly off his grasp and shot up from the floor, eager to put his special drawing of her alongside her students'. "Tetsumi, wait," his voice was much more stern now as he too stood up and pursued the tealhead. They ran around the room playfully and though it was slightly out of character for both of them, it was fun and they found themselves actually laughing heftily. Kuroko ran and ran, holding the drawing up as bait and Akashi played along. There was no fun in being a killjoy after all so despite being perfectly able to pull the paper off her delicate fingers, he chased after her. He inched closer to Kuroko who let out a small yelp as her foot came in contact with a pencil lain on the mat. She tripped and reached for the first thing her hand could touch which was, either by chance or by fate, Akashi's red dress shirt. Both of them tumbled down on the floor, lying on the floormat side by side, still laughing as they stared right into each other's eyes.

The faint pink tint of her cheeks did not go unnoticed by Akashi as he cupped her face with his hand. "Tetsumi..."

"Seijuro-kun.."

Their lips met in kiss, one that started out chaste and sweet and slowly turned into one filled with passion. Breaking the kiss for breath, she whispered, "This impromptu date thing of yours.. is going great, Seijuro-kun." Smiling, Akashi remembered what he had read from the pocketbook Midorima had so generously given him.

_"Your Ten Step Guide to Finding Something You Lost_

_1. Do something you wouldn't do in this situation (like, stop trying to look for the thing)._

_Take a break and stop searching for a while. Sometimes, when you aren't looking things pop up, you know? Seriously though, get your mind off the lost item so your head will be cleared and you'll be able to look for that thing with more focus and you might even remember where you had dropped the thing in first place."_

* * *

**AN**: Ok, 3rd chapter done! Yay :D I thought Akashi was the type to always plan ahead so yeah something unplanned would be nice. :))) I had Kuroko start calling Akashi as 'Seijuro-kun' 'cause I realized that they should be on a more than just first name basis now and having her call him with his last name in the previous chapters was my mistake. I'd like to thank **bolamut **for this. :)) Also, I am sincerely thankful for everyone who reviewed the first two chapters, especially those who've been following the story since the first chapter. :)) Your support really makes me happy and motivated :)) Next up, more of Akashi and Kuroko's "impromptu date" Leave a review please XD Thank you for reading. :D


End file.
